Photo: David Shankbone / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What I value most about Terry McMillan is her honesty in portraying African American women's lives complete with humor and pain. Born in Port Huron, Michigan, and educated at UC Berkeley, she gave voice to women whose inner worlds rarely reached the page before her. Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back resonated so widely they became films, and her 1987 American Book Award and 2010 induction into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame confirm her cultural weight. She used fiction to hand language to the unheard, and that is exactly the kind of writing that moves me.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Terry McMillan
- Name (Japanese)
- テリー・マクミラン
- Reading
- てりー・まくみらん
- Born
- October 18, 1951 (age 74)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Rabbit
- Origin
- Port Huron, Michigan, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- novelist / writer / screenwriter / university teacher / literary critic
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of California, Berkeley
Awards & achievements
- 2010 Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
- 1987 American Book Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Waiting to Exhale | — | |
| Notable work | How Stella Got Her Groove Back | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Terry McMillan born?
Born October 18, 1951 (age 74).
Where is Terry McMillan from?
Terry McMillan is from Port Huron, Michigan, United States.
What does Terry McMillan do?
Terry McMillan works as novelist, writer, screenwriter, university teacher, literary critic.
What is Terry McMillan known for?
Notable works include Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
Novelist — see all → · Writer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.